This invention relates to the field of signs and more particularly to the field of color-coded signs for marking distances on golf course fairways.
There have been a large variety of signs which have been patented and manufactured throughout the history of the United States. These signs come in all shapes and sizes and are attached to the ground or otherwise supported in various ways. In the particular field involving signs for golf courses, a number of decorative signs have been patented in the past and near history.
One such series of patented signs for golf courses were patented in the 1970s by Peter J. Genova. An example of a Genova patented fairway map and yard marker is found in the 1977 design patent issued to Genova numbered D246,810. This sign, of course, was designed to be permanent and to be situated near the tee of a golf hole. Also of note is U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,823, a bendable marker for a golf course.
Other signs, not in the golfing field, have been put in the marketplace. One such sign, U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,893, utilizes a horizontal stand for a base and a vertical sign portion attached to the horizontal stand to signal when a motorist is in distress. A "For Sale" sign, which is collapsible and uses a U-shaped tubular frame, was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,866 issued to Ratter.
All of the signs previously disclosed fail to solve the unique problems encountered when placing a sign or distance marker on the fairway of a golf course. Since the sign on a golf course must be visible, yet be designed so that it would not obstruct the flight of the ball in nearly all instances, the use of the standard type of signs normally found in the industry is not possible.
In order to produce a sign which is highly visible yet poses the least obstruction to the path of a struck ball, certain design features need to be incorporated into the basic concept. The sign should also have features which allow easy maintenance, for example, the removal of grass from the immediate area of the sign. All of these unique problems are solved with the instant invention.
It is an object of this invention to provide a visible yet unobtrusive sign which can denote the distance from the position of the sign to the hole on a golf course. It is another object of this invention to provide such a sign that will stay oriented in the least obtrusive position. It is a still further object of this invention to provide an unobtrusive sign which is also readily maintained with respect to the mowing operation normally conducted on a golf course. Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following Specification.